Connect with Us

Cloverdale embraces Doors Open festival

Frank McKinnon and Watt Heron stand by a sign erected by the Surrey Board of Trade at Fry’s Corner (176 St. and Fraser Highway) in 1956 to encourage people to visit Cloverdale. Check out digital displays, browse through photos, maps, oral history and more at the Surrey Archives on June 21. The archives is one of 48 participating sites in Surrey Doors Open.

Peek inside an 1884 heritage church that’s only used on special occasions or take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Surrey Museum’s storage collections when doors – and a lot more – swing open in Cloverdale.

The third annual Surrey Doors Open is a festival encouraging Surrey residents to be tourists in their own town, by sampling culture, history, art, and architecture, enjoying free activities and taking guided tours.

The idea originated in France, where in 1984 people were invited to visit places that weren’t ordinarily open to the public, such as police stations and fire halls.

The concept has really taken wing in Cloverdale, which is part of the festival for the first time in 2014.

“It’s a city event that expanded to Cloverdale,” says Paul Orazietti, executive director of the Cloverdale BIA.

It’s a chance to share our stories, celebrating the old – and the new, says Orazietti, noting the population of Cloverdale and area has grown rapidly in recent years.

“The past and the future live here,” he said, amending the familiar City of Surrey slogan slightly.

City-wide, 48 sites in City Centre, Bear Creek Park, Newton and Cloverdale are participating in the June 21 event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There are myriad events, open houses and activities planned for Cloverdale – from a buskers’ festival and artisan market to a Park Play Palooza at Cloverdale Athletic Park and a vintage truck and tractor show ‘n shine at the B.C. Vintage Truck Museum.

It’s shaping up to be a veritable smorgasbord of what the historic town centre and area has to offer.

Free, hop-on, hop-off transportation is available as well, making it easier to check out the various stops.

A number of places of worship across Surrey are opening their doors. Locally, the Tzu Chi Foundation of Canada is participating, along with Pacific Community Church – home to the new community kitchen.

Quite a few places with a heritage bent will be open, including the B.C. Vintage Truck Museum, Christ Church and cemetery, the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society, the Cloverdale Legion, the Surrey Museum (offering a range of activities, plus the Re-Enactors, along with tours with the curator of the collections storage) and the Surrey Archives, where visitors can check out digital displays, browse photos, and meet with members of the Surrey Historical Society.

A historic Cloverdale walking tour is also planned (sign up at the Surrey Museum). Additionally, Orazietti said the Cloverdale BIA and the Surrey Historical Society have put together a self-guided walking tour, with 5,000 copies of the pamphlet available to the public at various locations.

Surrey Fire Hall No. 8 in Cloverdale and the Cloverdale/Port Kells community office (District 4) of the Surrey RCMP are also holding open houses. Open houses are also planned at the Cloverdale Library, Cloverdale Recreation Centre, and the Cloverdale Youth Park, home to the new, state-of-the-art skateboard facility.

Fraser Downs hosts the Antique Tractor Pull, running from noon to 3 p.m. and featuring pre-1960 tractors from across the Fraser Valley.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Cloverdale campus will be inviting visitors of all ages to take a tour and have fun making slime, film canister rockets and more.

Doors Open event guides available online or at City of Surrey recreation centres and libraries. For more, visit Surrey.ca/doorsopen, email doorsopen@surrey.ca, or phone 604-592-6924.

We encourage an open exchange of ideas on this story's topic, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. Personal attacks, inappropriate language, and off-topic comments may be removed, and comment privileges revoked, per our Terms of Use. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.